Logic, Fallacies & the Trivium Method of Critical Thinking: Enhancing Your Mental Anti-Virus

By on January 27, 2012 in News 17

Via TriviumEducation.org and GnosticMedia.com:

Intellectual self defense for the awakening of the masses. Understand the methods of sophistry which are utilized to enslave and control the minds of humankind.

government (govern = control / ment = mental/mind)

For a list of some of the more common fallacies please visit ww.nizkor.org.

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  • Hugh G. Rexxion

    TL; DW

    • TooLongMeansURDumb

      Either you’re a bad comic or you entirely missed the point of the article …

      • chinagreenelvis

        He probably said the same thing about the Star Wars trilogy.

        • razzlebathbone

          To be fair, it was at least three movies TL.

  • Andrew

    > government (govern = control / ment = mental/mind)

    Hah!  I wonder how many are going to fall for that one!

    • http://wearechangeatlanta.com/ Camron Wiltshire

      6.    Government / “to control the mind” etymology:http://latindictionary.wikidot.com/noun:mens 
      from the Latin, mens, mentis, menti, mentem, mente; which are 3rd declension nouns which mean “mind”, the ablative meaning “the mind”. Gubernare (to control) + mente (the mind) = the root of government (to control the mind).http://erocx1.blogspot.com/2011/06/jan-irvin-logic-fallacies-trivium.html

      • Andrew
        • http://wearechangeatlanta.com/ Camron Wiltshire

          Imagine that perhaps it is a multi-valent symbol with both estoeric and exoteric meanings.  One for the laity and one for the clergy.   This rectifies the seeming discord.
          FYI >  Snopes doesn’t question the govern ment very well about anything.

          • Andrew

            Snopes wasn’t the only site I linked to.

            I don’t see any purpose for such an esoteric meaning.  I believe language’s power is explained by things like general semantics and linguistic relativity, and it seems to me that some secret (yet apparently easily discovered) meaning would have to work like a magic spell.  It would be like trying to lure people into a trap by putting a big “Danger” sign behind a chain link fence.

            “Govern” already means control, and the meanings of the -ment suffix are known.  If it meant “mental,” consider how ridiculous the implications of many of the other words ending in -ment would be.  Why add mental?  People wouldn’t be controlled by the government if that wasn’t in the word?  Conspirators couldn’t conspire without it?

          • http://wearechangeatlanta.com/ Camron Wiltshire

            I never said it is restricted to one interpretation.  I simply presented that it is possible that it has a sinister meaning.  The link I provided describes this in the jargon of linguistics.  I’m no linguist nor do I pretend to be.  Rather I think it is interesting to note that perhaps simply because we are not told something from “official” sources, it is quite prudent to consider alternative meanings, even those hidden in plain sight.

            Also “not seeing the purpose of an esoteric meaning” would in fact be the purpose of the esoteric meaning wouldn’t you agree?  Again consider the need to transmit and preserve information through the use of gematria, multi-valent symbolism and allegory that enabled the transfer of the precessional numbers evidenced in “Hamlet’s Mill” & many other texts documenting unequivocally this codification of esoteric knowledge.  You could think of Larry Silverstein’s admission that “we decided to pull it” (referring to Building 7) and the semantical dismissal of his obvious admission,  as a modern example of the slippery nature of pinning down exact meaning when it comes to the priest class.  Of course it’s harder for any logical or moral individual to imagine such gall as a deliberate technique of confounding.   Yet there it is.  Sometimes the best place to hide things is right out in the open.  Magic works in just such a manner I hear.Of course you don’t have to believe me and can argue all you like.  None of us was there the moment the word was first formed and with what intent.  From there it’s his story retracing what the victors consider worthy of re membering.Thus I advocate we not fall prey to the deception that if it’s not codified by the priests/experts/intelligentsia that no other interpretations of language should be considered.  Also you ventured into begging the question speculation at the end there so I can’t really follow your logic.  Obviously you don’t need the word “government” to conspire or “breathe together”.  Jan does a better job than I of arguing this point and I’m sure if you were so inclined your query to his attention.  Feel free to search and post whatever you find.

    • Anonymous

      Where the hell did people get the idea that you can break down one word into two Latin roots to derive the TRUE meaning of the word? Isn’t that fallacious? Which one of you gnostic parrots can name the fallacy for me?

      Oh, I just used an ad hominem I guess everything I’ve ever said ever is invalid now.

      Don’t waste your hours on this crap, people. Go occupy something.

      • http://wearechangeatlanta.com/ Camron Wiltshire

        “For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one striking at the root.”David Thoreau (1817-1862)

  • chinagreenelvis

    About fucking time someone made this video and someone else posted it here. Critical thinking is the single most powerful tool any citizen of the modern age (and of the future) can afford to refine.

    • Ttqt

      yep. 99% of people who post on this site will benefit.

  • Anonymous

    Is it really sophistry that enslaves people? That’s all it takes? People just need to learn how critical thinking was done in the middle ages? Seriously?

    Alcoholism and other addictions have nothing to do with being enslaved?

    Mere physical force has nothing to do with people being enslaved?

    “Oh, people only stand for that shit because they don’t get the Trivium, maaaaannn.”

    No, they stand for that shit because if they don’t they get hurt or worse.

    Sophistry is such minute part of the fucking problem the fact the “counterculture” is eating this shit up for breakfast is just reminder that the “counterculture” is either too timid, too naive, or too stupid to solve the problem of enslavement, which is a real fucking problem I assure you.

    • http://wearechangeatlanta.com/ Camron Wiltshire

      No one but you is arguing that sophistry alone is responsible for enslaving anyone.  I would argue however that it is not a minute part of the equation by any means.  If more people understood the laws and that the supposed authorities are nothing more than naked emperors, and were willing to stand behind such reasoning in mass, well we may just have a new renaissance on our hands.
      Physical freedom and mental freedom are both required for liberty in my mind.

      The properly organized trivium is a powerful technology for liberty.  Whether or not it will be utilized to enable freedom is dependent on the user and it’s proliferation.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Foytek/100000638425517 John Foytek

    If its really Sophistry and the manipulation of psychology and memes and contradicting philosophies, much less all the frequencies and everything that we absorb and radiate, then our “enslavement” has been part of a long time going. This would just be a tip of the iceberg. I recommend to anyone reading this to check out “SageBodisattva” ‘s videos on youtube